Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Jolly Yocheryl’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Jolly Yocheryl’, characterized by its compact, upright and outwardly spreading plant habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit; uniform and freely flowering habit; decorative-type inflorescences with elongated oblong to obovate-shaped ray florets; red-colored ray florets; and natural flowering about October 8 th  in the Northern Hemisphere.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum×morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Jolly Yocheryl’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium, commercially grown as a garden Chrysanthemum and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Jolly Yocheryl’.

The objective of the breeding program is to create new garden-type Chrysanthemum cultivars having inflorescences with desirable inflorescence forms, attractive floret colors and good garden performance.

The new Chrysanthemum is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of unnamed proprietary selection of Chrysanthemum×morifolium, not patented. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within a population of plants of the parent selection in December, 2003, in Alva, Fla. The selection of this plant was based on its desirable inflorescence color and good form and substance.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by vegetative cuttings was first conducted in Alva, Fla. in February, 2004. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar Jolly Yocheryl have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Jolly Yocheryl’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Jolly Yocheryl’ as a new and distinct garden Chrysanthemum cultivar:

-   -   1. Compact, upright and outwardly spreading plant habit.     -   2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit.     -   3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.     -   4. Decorative-type inflorescences with elongated oblong to         obovate-shaped ray florets.     -   5. Red-colored ray florets.     -   6. Natural season flowering about October 8^(th) in the Northern         Hemisphere.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered later than plants of         the present selection when grown under natural season         conditions.     -   2. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more red         in color than ray florets of plants of the parent selection.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Raquel, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,982. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Raquel in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more uniformly mounded         than plants of the cultivar Raquel.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had larger inflorescences         than plants of the cultivar Raquel.     -   3. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum were lighter         red in color than ray florets of plants of the cultivar Raquel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum. These photographs show the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Chrysanthemum.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Jolly Yocheryl’.

The photograph at the top of the sheet is a close-up view of typical inflorescences of ‘Jolly Yocheryl’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in Fletcher, N.C. during the summer in an outdoor nursery and under conditions and practices which approximate those generally used in commercial garden Chrysanthemum production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures averaged 29° C. and night temperatures averaged 16° C. Plants were grown in 15-containers, exposed to long day/short night conditions and pinched about two weeks later. About two weeks after the pinch, the photoinductive short day/long night treatments were started. Plants used in the photographs and for the description were about three months old. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Jolly     Yocheryl. -   Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of an unnamed     proprietary selection of Chrysanthemum×morifolium, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About four days at temperatures of             about 21° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant.—About ten to twelve             days at temperatures of about 21° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; white in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Herbaceous decorative-type garden Chrysanthemum.             Stems upright and outwardly spreading giving a uniformly             mounded appearance to the plant. Freely branching habit,             about six lateral branches develop after removal of terminal             apex (pinching) each with numerous secondary laterals; dense             and full plant habit. Strong and vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 21 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 27 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 20 cm. Diameter: About 6 mm.             Internode length: About 1.5 cm. Strength: Strong. Texture:             Pubescent. Color: 148B.         -   Leaves.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length: About             5.2 cm. Width: About 4.3 cm. Apex: Broadly acute. Base:             Attenuate. Margin: Palmately lobed, sinuses between lateral             lobes mostly parallel. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:             Fine pubescence; veins prominent on lower surface. Color:             Developing foliage, upper and lower surfaces: 147A. Fully             expanded foliage, upper surface: 147A; venation, 147B. Fully             expanded foliage, lower surface: 147B; venation, 147B.             Petiole: Length: About 8 mm. Diameter: About 2.5 mm.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent. Color, upper             and lower surfaces: 147B. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form with             elongated oblong to obovate-shaped ray florets.             Inflorescences borne on terminals above foliage. Disk and             ray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum.             Inflorescences not fragrant.         -   Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants             flower about October 8^(th) in the Northern Hemisphere. At             other times of the year, inflorescence initiation and             development can be induced under short day/long night             conditions (at least 13.5 hours of darkness). Early             flowering habit; plants exposed to photoinductive short             day/long night conditions flower about 55 days later.         -   Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color             and substance for about three weeks in an outdoor nursery.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—About 21 inflorescences develop             per lateral branch.         -   Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 1.2 cm. Diameter: About             1 cm. Shape: Ovoid. Color: 182A.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 4.5 cm. Depth (height):             About 2 cm. Disc diameter: About 3 mm; inconspicuous.             Receptacle diameter: About 1.5 cm. Receptacle height: About             4 mm.         -   Ray florets.—Shape: Elongated-oblong to obovate.             Orientation: Initially upright, then about 45° to 60° from             vertical; eventually perpendicular to peduncle. Aspect:             Initially incurved, then mostly concave. Length: About             2.2 cm. Width: About 8 mm. Apex: Nearly round to slightly             emarginate. Base: Acute. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and             lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous, satiny. Number of ray             florets per inflorescence: About 170 arranged in about 15 to             16 whorls. Color: When opening, upper surface: 173A to 173B.             When opening, lower surface: 179D. Fully opened, upper             surface: 179B; color becoming closer to 173D with             development. Fully opened, lower surface: 158B to 158C;             color becoming closer to 158A with development.         -   Disc florets.—Shape: Tubular, elongated. Length: About             2.5 mm. Diameter: About 1 mm. Number of disc florets per             inflorescence: About 35. Color, immature: Apex: Close to             15C. Mid-section: Close to 15D. Base: Close to 145D. Color,             mature: Apex: close to 15B. Mid-section: Close to 15C. Base:             Close to 145D.         -   Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About 26             arranged in about two whorls. Length: About 6 mm. Width:             About 2.5 mm. Shape: Ligulate. Apex: Acute. Base: Truncate.             Texture, upper surface: Smooth, waxy. Texture, lower             surface: Pubescent. Color, upper surface: Close to 137B.             Color, lower surface: Close to 137A.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 4.2 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm.             Angle: About 45° from vertical. Strength: Strong. Texture:             Pubescent; longitudinally ridged. Color: Close to 148A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Stamen number: About five             per floret. Filament length: Less than 1 mm. Filament color:             Close to 145D. Anther length: Less than 1 mm. Anther shape:             Oblong. Anther color: Close to 15B. Pollen amount: None             observed. Gynoecium: Pistil length: About 5 mm. Stigma             shape: Bi-parted. Stigma color: Close to 4B. Style length:             About 2 mm. Style color: Close to 4D. Ovary color: Close to             155A.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production has not been observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to     Chrysanthemums has not been observed on plants grown under     commercial conditions. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have     demonstrated excellent garden performance and to tolerate     temperatures from about 0° C. to about 38° C. 

1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Jolly Yocheryl’ as illustrated and described. 